Plush Bee Amigurumi: Free Striped Crochet Bee Pattern
This plush bee amigurumi pattern makes a chubby little bee in sunny yellow, with two bold black stripes, a pair of soft white wings, shiny bead eyes and an embroidered smile with rosy cheeks. Made with the materials listed, it measures 8 cm (about 3 inches). It’s small enough for a shelf or a gift basket, and it still has plenty of character.
The bee’s body, stripes and all, is a single piece. It starts from a 6-stitch center, grows to 24 stitches, then works straight rounds where the color changes every two rounds to build the stripes. A few decrease rounds close it up. The two wings are the only separate parts: small circles you sew on before adding the face.
Materials Abbreviations Body Wings Finishing FAQ
Materials
- Yarn: a suitable yarn (the designer used YarnArt Dolce). The pattern uses yellow and black for the striped body and white for the wings.
- Crochet hook: a suitable size (the designer used size 4.0).
- Eyes: half beads.
- Face details: a small amount of red and black Pekhorka “Detskaya Novinka” yarn for the cheeks and mouth.
- Fiberfill
- Tools: a long needle, scissors and glue for attaching the eyes.
Finished size: 8 cm with the materials listed. A different yarn or hook will change the size of your bee.
A note on the eyes: The bee’s eyes are half beads glued in place. If you’re making the bee for a young child, read the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s guidance on small parts in toys and children’s products before you choose your eyes.
Abbreviations (US terms)
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ch | chain |
| sc | single crochet |
| sl st | slip stitch |
| inc | increase: 2 sc in the same stitch |
| dec | decrease: 1 sc worked through the next 2 stitches, so 2 stitches become 1 |
| st(s) | stitch(es) |
| Rnd | round |
| [ ] … times | repeat the instructions in brackets the stated number of times |
| (… sts) | stitch count at the end of the round |
This pattern is written in US crochet terms. If you usually follow UK patterns, the Craft Yarn Council’s crochet abbreviations chart lists the standard US names and how they compare.
Body
Before your first stitch: The stripes are counted in pairs of rounds. You switch colors after Rnds 6, 8, 10 and 12, so each black stripe is exactly two rounds tall. Keep both colors close at hand. If you’d like a refresher, our guide on how to change colors in amigurumi walks through the switch.
Start with yellow. The body begins from a short chain, not a magic ring: you work all 6 stitches of the first round into the 2nd chain from the hook.
Rnd 1: Ch 2, then work 6 sc in the 2nd ch from the hook.
Rnd 2: Inc 6 times (12 sts).
Rnd 3: [Sc, inc] 6 times (18 sts).
Rnd 4: [2 sc, inc] 6 times (24 sts).
Rnds 5–6: Sc in each st around (24 sts).
Color change: Change to black.
Rnds 7–8: Sc in each st around (24 sts).
Color change: Change to yellow.
Rnds 9–10: Sc in each st around (24 sts).
Color change: Change to black.
Rnds 11–12: Sc in each st around (24 sts).
Color change: Change to yellow.
Rnd 13: Sc in each st around (24 sts).
Rnd 14: [2 sc, dec] 6 times (18 sts).
Rnd 15: [Sc, dec] 6 times (12 sts).
Stuffing tip: Fiberfill is on the materials list, and the opening gets smaller with each decrease round. While it’s still open at this stage, it’s a convenient time to fill the bee evenly so it holds its shape. For tips on shaping it, see how to stuff amigurumi without lumps.
Rnd 16: Dec 6 times (6 sts).
Fasten off, cut the yarn, and weave in the end.
Wings (make 2)
Use white. The wings start the same way as the body, and you can choose between two sizes: stop after Rnd 2 for small wings, or work Rnd 3 for bigger ones. Either way, each wing gets sewn on, so leave yourself enough tail to sew with.
Rnd 1: Ch 2, then work 6 sc in the 2nd ch from the hook.
Rnd 2: Inc 6 times (12 sts). For small wings, you can stop here. For bigger wings, work one more increase round.
Rnd 3: [Sc, inc] 6 times (18 sts), sl st. Fasten off, leaving a long yarn tail for sewing.
Sew the two wings upright, side by side, on top of the body. If you’d like help getting a neat seam, see our guide to sewing amigurumi parts together.
Finishing
- Glue on the half-bead eyes.
- Embroider the cheeks with the red yarn and the mouth with the black Pekhorka “Detskaya Novinka” yarn.
More small crochet critters
Questions about this plush bee
How does the first round start?
Both the body and the wings begin with ch 2. You then work 6 sc in the 2nd ch from the hook, which gives the 6 stitches that Rnd 2 increases to 12.
Where do the black stripes go?
The black stripes are Rnds 7–8 and Rnds 11–12. Everything else is yellow: Rnds 1–6, Rnds 9–10, and Rnd 13 through the decrease rounds that close the body.
Can I make smaller wings?
Yes. For small wings, stop after Rnd 2 (12 sts) and fasten off with a long tail for sewing. For bigger wings, work Rnd 3 to reach 18 sts, then slip stitch and fasten off with a long tail.
How big is the finished bee?
The bee measures 8 cm when made with the listed materials: YarnArt Dolce and a size 4.0 hook. A different yarn or hook will give a different finished size.
